Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr., Eric Carle (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

What will you hear when you read this book to a preschool child?

Lots of noise!

Children will chant the rhythmic words. They'll make the sounds the animals make. And they'll pretend to be the zoo animals featured in the book-- look at the last page!

Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle are two of the most respected names in children's education and children's illustrations. This collaboration, their first since the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (published more than thirty years ago and still a best-seller) shows two masters at their best.

A Redbook Children's Picture Book Award winner

The rollicking companion to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Publishers Weekly

It's been 25 years since these two talented men put their heads together, but the fruit of their latest collaboration is well worth the wait. Continuing in the spirit of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? , their new book incorporates the same clean design and crisp text, but this time the action takes place at the zoo, where elephants, hippos, lions and such are asked what they hear--each answer leads to the animal on the next page, and culminates with a zookeeper who ``hears'' a pageful of multiracial children disguised as their favorite animals. Carle's characteristically inventive, jewel-toned artwork forms a seamless succession of images that fairly leap off the pages, and educator Martin, ever tuned in to what children like best, has assembled a thoroughly rowdy menagerie--including a fluting flamingo, bellowing walrus and hissing boa constrictor, to name a few--imitations of whose sounds will doubtless soon be echoing in many homes and classrooms. A visually and aurally splashy work, this is a splendid successor to Brown Bear , one that no fan of that popular bruin will want to be without. Ages 2-4. (Oct.)

Children's Literature

It took twenty-five years for the Brown Bear to be joined by the Polar Bear, and now both are available in board book versions. The charm is not lost in a smaller version. Carle's wonderful collages fill each spread and the animals will delight toddlers as will the rhyming and repetitive text. A excellent addition to any child's library and parents may want to get the other book by this pair (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) since it may provide some relief for the many rereading that are bound to be requested. 1992 (orig.

Children's Literature

Twenty years after their acclaimed collaboration on Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Martin and Carle team up on this companion book. To the repeating question "What do you hear?," animals ranging from a flamingo to a zebra to a leopard all respond with the sound of the nearest animal hissing, braying, and growling. The text has a satisfying aural and visual closure as the sounds are reprised with a child playing the part of each noisy animal. Carle's collage-style animals are bold and dynamic.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-- In a logical sensory follow-up to Martin's and Carle's wildly successful Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Holt, 1983), this dynamic duo now offers sounds. The polar bear hears a lion roaring, who hears a hippopotamus snorting, who hears a flamingo fluting (!), who hears a zebra braying, and so on through a varied list of animals. At last the zookeeper announces that he hears children roaring, snorting, fluting, etc. While the format is very similar to the previous book, Carle's trademark collages have never been more beautiful. Huge animals fill the double-page spreads, glowing with light-filled colors, sans superflouous background. Teachers will smile with delight when they see this wonderful book, and students are sure to utter the familiar request, ``Have you got another one like this one?'' --Ruth Semrau, Lovejoy School, Allen, TX

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